BLUE was Derek Jarman’s final film. Completed in May 1993, just months before his death, it is his testament. For 74 minutes, an unchanging screen of celestial blue is accompanied by voices that deliver a collage of fragments from Jarman’s diary, describing the gradual onset of blindness as he battles with HIV. As his daily life is stripped away, only the essentials remain.
For this very special live screening, a cast of four actors including Russell Tovey(American Horror Story, Angels in America), writer and theatre-maker Travis Alabanza (Sound of the Underground, Burgerz), artist Jay Bernard (Surge: Side A) and award-winning poet Joelle Taylor (C+nto and othered poems) will deliver Jarman’s powerful words, directed by Neil Bartlett; the film’s original composer, Simon Fisher Turner, will accompany them with a new live score.
BLUE was created during the darkest days of the British AIDS epidemic and bears witness not just to its creator’s remarkable courage but also to the rage and loss of an entire generation. Thirty years to the month after it was completed, this new live rendition of the film will be a chance to hear afresh its inspiring message of compassion, love and dignity under fire.
4 Performances in the UK
7 May – @brightonfestival
13 May – @turnercontemporary
21 May – @homemcr
27 May – @tate
Presented by @WeTransfer, in association with Fuel and Basilisk Communications
Labels: 2023, Blue, Derek Jarman, Jay Bernard, Joelle Taylor, Live Perfomance, Neil Bartlett, Russell Tovey, Simon Fisher Turner, Travis Alabanza
